The Trojans also saw quarterback Matt Barkley go down in the waning minutes. He was sacked from behind by Anthony Barr and stayed on the ground for several minutes before leaving the field. He was replaced on the final drive by Max Wittek.

By that point, the game was already in the bag for UCLA. USC had won 12 of the last 13 games as well. A year ago, USC wasn’t even eligible for the postseason. Now that it is, it still couldn’t find a way to the conference championship game and won’t be in the Rose Bowl either. A preseason favorite by some to win the national championship, that’s well out of the cards. In other words, everything Barkley came back for, on the football field at least, as a senior was squandered.

Meanwhile, the Bruins might have turned a corner in the program’s horrendous struggles of recent years. They improved to 9-2 and await the winner of the Pac-12 North.

UCLA jumped out to a huge first-quarter lead, with quarterback Brett Hundley and tight end Joseph Fauria giving the Trojans fits in the early going.

This game doesn’t resemble in any way the one last year in which USC humiliated UCLA in a 50-0 victory. That was before Jim Mora. Before Hundley found his way. Before the Bruins began believing it could stand up to UCLA, which has won the last 12 games against the Bruins.

This version of UCLA led 17-0 after the first quarter and is ahead 24-14 at halftime.

USC did its share to help UCLA. Barkley threw a pass that was intercepted by Aaron Hester. That turnover set up Hundley’s rush up the middle for a 1-yard score.

The Bruins next got a 23-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn after an 18-play drive.

The Bruins took advantage of the mistake. Hundley’s 17-yard TD pass to Fauria put UCLA up 17-0 with 3:30 left in the first.

The Bruins continued the dominance in the second quarter. Driving the ball down the field on the porous USC defense, Hundley found the 6-foot-7 inch Fauria for a 16-yard grab. Running back Johnathan Franklin then rumbled up the gut of the defense and into the end zone to give the Bruins a commanding 24-0 lead.

Of course, the Trojans, while struggling mightily on defense, still have a quick-strike offense and the best collection of receivers in the country.

USC finally got on board when Matt Barkley orchestrated a pass-heavy drive. He first hit Robert Woods on a 31-yard pass. He then found Nelson Agholor for an 8-yard pass, and finally zipped a pass through the middle of the Bruins’ secondary to hit Agholor on a beautiful 33-yard touchdown throw with 6:05 left in the half.

The Trojans closed the gap even more on its next drive when Barkley continued to make use of the best athletes on the field in Woods, Lee and Agholor. Tosses to each of them helped to the get the ball down to the 2-yard line, from where Barkley found Randall Telfer to make 24-14.

USC inched closer early in the second half. Hundley fumbled a snap and George Uko recovered it in the end zone. Andre Heidari missed the extra point.

Hundley’s 3-yard TD run extended the Bruins’ advantage to 31-20. USC still didn’t back down. Lee’s 14-yard score, followed by a 2-point conversion pass to Woods, made it 31-28 with more than seven minutes left.

But, as has been the case for much of the season, it was defense that gave the Trojans trouble. Hundley led his team down the field and Franklin swiveled and sprinted his way to a 29-yard TD. USC’s Heidari’s 38-yard field goal was blocked—slamming the door shut on USC’s reign over Los Angeles.